Corona Devotionals

Does God really say that we can only have  faith-in,                 rest-in,                                and  worship                                                         ONLY  Him?   Yes. We are deceiving ourselves if we live (and offer our hearts in worship) otherwise. You must acknowledge no God but me,  for there is no other savior.  ~Hosea 13:4 What are we striving for today?  Stability?  Joy?  Successful outcomes?   Marital union?  Marital unity?  Material wealth?  Accolades?  Approval? You must acknowledge no God but me,  for there is no other savior.  ~Hosea 13:4 What is ki...

Blessed is he who endures trials, because when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.  ~James 1:12 ~~~ Let’s face it: we will endure trials as we seek to live and serve Christ.   We wish it wasn’t true…but if we have been serving the Lord long enough…we know that it is.   Some of our trials are external.   It’s no secret that Christ-followers can receive push-back from the main-stream.   From integrity attacks to (unnecessary) red-tape, to actual physical abuse and imprisonment, and in extreme cases: death …for true followers-of-Chrsit, the cost can be heavy and if we have entered service to the Lord, then we must accept that trials will be something that we will endure. Blessed is he who endures trials, because when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.  ~James 1:12 However--some of our trials are entirely internal.   Thi...

I'm no meteorologist, but this is the coldest and snowiest Ohio winter that I can remember. We have been covered in snow and below average (and below freezing!) temperatures for weeks.   We've had a foot of snow for as long as I can remember: the ground is buried, we often wake up to driveways and front steps that are buried, and some days-- we feel buried. But today, I saw a sign of life poking through the snow.  No, it was not a miracle daffodil (one of the first flowers of spring) mistaking February for April.  And no, it wasn't a little woodland animal poking its head about the drifts after awakening from a hibernating winter slumber.  It was neither flora not fauna...but it was an unmistakable and telltale sign of life, peeping its head up and over and through the harsh cold surroundings.  The sign of life that I saw sticking out of calf deep snow said: JN 11:25-26 on it.                     ...

Do you like riddles? Here's one: When is a locust not a locust ? The prophet named Joel, in the Bible, opens the first chapter of his book talking about locusts . And he is speaking of actual locusts .  (Some scholars ascertain that the locusts he mentions represent other nations that have come against Israel.)  But most Biblical scholars agree (and the Bible says!) that Joel is really speaking about actual locusts .  The locusts , they came and attacked the field. Then, the  locusts , they came and cleaned out what was left in the field.  And then the  locusts , they came back and left total decimation in the fields, and then the  locusts , they came once more and stripped it all again.  In all your history,  has anything like this happened before? ( 3)  Tell your children about it in the years to come,  and let your children tell their children.   Pass the story down from generation to generation.  ( 4)...